


The Demon's Assistants (old)

by Nabeerie



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: dipper centered, i was half asleep when i wrote this, possible billdip probably not though - Freeform, this is basically garbage and i'm sorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-09
Updated: 2015-05-02
Packaged: 2018-02-20 11:51:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2427686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nabeerie/pseuds/Nabeerie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bill claims the Pines twins as his assistants. (Takes place after the end of Season One). This work is being revamped! See the new one by the same title!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Stanford Pines was going to ruin everything.

Bill had worked to secure this universe for himself long ago, even before the arrival of its citizens. He had woven himself into the threads of history, hiding in every culture. He was the giver of knowledge, the bringer of light and the muse of artists and inventors. Humans were his pets and his toys, and he did as he pleased with them. He built civilizations, constructed religions, and burned empires. 

A few bright humans suspected a manipulator. The ones who spoke about him were shunned and shut out from society until they were completely alone. Those were the most fun to play with. Humans with the mental capability to discover him were a rare toy that didn't show up often. Stan was once one of these special toys, before he pushed Bill away. 

Despite all his intelligence, Stan still didn't realize that it was impossible to go against Bill’s wishes. He could try as hard as he wanted, gather all of the journals, and even start the portal, but, no matter how hard he tried, he would not leave the universe that Bill had worked so hard to cultivate. Jumping universes would make the hologram wiggle and blur. The illusion would be ruined, the board would be flipped, and the game would be over. 

He couldn't allow that. 

But Stan’s unwelcome interference presented Bill with a wonderful opportunity. He had finally had a chance to claim the Pine twins as his own. They would be useful to him, a pair of allies to aid him in his work. The twins were ideal for this situation. They were close to Stan, so the chance that he would harm them was minimal. They were naive enough not to question what he told them too much, but competent enough to finish the job. 

Bill had watched Dipper attentively since the "battle". ( It wasn't so much of a fight as it was a test of valor.) He had seen everything. He watched as Stan lost the Mystery Shack and Dipper fought to get it back with a gnome army (which, Bill had to admit, was creative). He saw Dipper jump off a cliff to save his sister. The boy was brave, resourceful, and clever, but he was also fickle, impulsive, easily influenced by his emotions, and prone to bouts of hopelessness. He was both powerful and easily manipulated, perfectly suited to Bill's needs. 

Mabel, on the other hand, was almost perpetually bright and optimistic. Assertive, creative, gutsy, caring, and silly, she was the counterbalance to Dipper's serious nature. Dipper in turn tempered her silliness, keeping her from enacting the more dangerous of her ideas. Without each other, the twins would be unbalanced. They worked together as easily as two sides of the same brain. Now all he had to do was get them to work with him.


	2. A Visit

“All right kids. You got to finish the movie. Go to bed.”  
“But the credits are still playing! The movie isn’t over.”  
“It said The End. Go to bed.”  
"But-”  
“I said GO!’  
“Okay, okay! We’re going!”  
The twins stood up and walked slowly out of the living room, yawning slightly, and climbed the wooden stairs, headed towards the attic.  
"Hey, Dipper!”  
“What?”  
“Race you! First one to their pillow wins!”  
“You’re on!”  
The pair thundered up the old wooden stairs, laughing and taunting each other playfully. Neck-and-neck, they both raced down the hall. A floorboard by their door pulled itself slightly out of the floor. The twins kept sprinting, only to let out a pair of yelps as they tripped over the board and disappeared from sight.  
Dipper was ejected onto his bed a moment later, still running. He promptly ran into the now-gray wall, his head bouncing off of the wood with an audible crack. Mabel ran across the floor before tripping forward onto her bed.  
“Augh!” Dipper gasped, his head throbbing painfully. “What happen-AH!” Dipper jumped, startled by a sudden burst of maniacal laughter.  
“Hey there you two! Long time no see!”  
“Bill!?”  
“Aww, you both said my name at the same time! How sweet! Did'ya miss me?”  
“What are you doing here?”  
“I came to see you two, of course! Why else would I be here? I can’t exactly summon you, now can I?”  
“But why-”  
“Hush, Shooting Star. All will be revealed in good time. Very soon, in fact.Now sit down and listen.”  
“ Why should we listen to you?” Dipper crossed his arms, glaring up at Bill.  
“ I saved your lives! You owe me!”  
“ No you didn't! You tried to kill us!”  
“ And now I'm trying to save you. So shut up and listen.”  
“Yeah? Well, what if we don’t want to?” Bill’s eye narrowed. He floated forward until he was inches away from Dipper’s face. Dipper stared back defiantly, still wincing slightly each time his head throbbed.  
The pain in Dipper’s head suddenly spiked, sending him to his knees, hands over his eyes. A high pitched squealing invaded his mind and his vision went white with pain. Dimly he heard Mabel shout his name. The pain was worse than anything he had ever experienced. It was even worse than the time he had plummeted into the eye of Gideon's robot.  
And then it was gone. The pain had disappeared as quickly as it had come, even the echoes of the sensation departing instantaneously. A small, cool hand was lifting his chin. Dipper looked up, expecting Mabel. Bill stared down at him.  
“Sorry about that, kid. I didn’t want to have to do that, but you needed to be reminded that you aren’t able to fight me. You aren’t in Stan's mind anymore. You’re at my mercy out here.”  
Dipper jerked away from Bill’s hand and glared at him with the most anger and hatred he could muster. Bill sighed. “So stubborn.” A twinge of the pain returned for a brief moment, but Dipper refused to react. The demon merely rolled his eyes and leaned back, toying idly with his cane.  
“I came to ask a favor of you two."  
“We aren't doing it.”  
“Nobody said you had a choice in the matter.”  
“We won't do it."  
"You will, unless you want the idiot downstairs to destroy everything."  
“What are you talking about?”  
“Remember that odd page in the third journal, Dipper? There are matching pages in journals one and two. When the pages are put together they reveal the secret to activating a machine of incredible power. However, when the machine is used it consumes and removes all of the energy from the universe it resides in, leading to instant entropy. Your great uncle wants to use the machine to jump universes. ”  
“Grunkle Stan wouldn’t do that! You’re lying!”  
“I’m not lying, Mabel. Think about it. What’s the one thing your “Grunkle” chases after more than anything?”  
There was a slight pause before Dipper replied. “Money,” he said, “He’s...he’s always after money.”  
“And money brings many things. Wealth, security, and leisure, just to name a few. But what your uncle wants most is power. He’s an ambitious man. So ambitious that he would risk humanity for his own motives.”  
“Why can’t you stop him?”  
“I could, but I want to test you two.”  
“By making us save the universe?!” Mabel was incredulous.  
“Yep! Just think of it as an entrance exam!”  
“An entrance exam?”  
“Yep! If everything goes well I take you two on as my assistants!”  
“What?”  
“What! How! Why! You two never stop asking questions! If you keep blathering on you won't have any time to stop Stanford!"  
“What if we fail?”  
The question came from Dipper. His scorn had been replaced by seriousness and worry.  
“ If you fail the universe will be destroyed. Everyone you have ever loved and everything you have ever known will disappear. I’ll steal you two away with me before you cease to be, but your friends and family won’t be so lucky. My advice? Don’t fail. Now get up. We have to get going."

 

It was almost time. Tomorrow night he would jump universes and find infinite power.  
He had been preparing carefully, packing the items necessary for his trip through the portal. He would become the most powerful being in the world. He would be able to do anything he desired.  
Stan still felt embarrassed that he had let his guard down the day before. If it weren't for the kids, Cipher would have ruined his plans.  
The kids...how would he explain this to them? Walk over to them and say, “Hey, I’m not who I seem, I’m going to another universe, see you later?” That wouldn't go over well with them. He would have to leave quickly and be gone before they discover he left.  
Maybe it would be best to leave now, while the twins are asleep.  
He wanted to say goodbye.  
Stan crept up the creaky stairs slowly and quietly. He tiptoed down the hall, not wanting to wake the kids.  
The world suddenly went grey. The door knob rotated underneath his hand.  
It was moving on its own.  
The door was suddenly flung open, and a yellow triangle darted forward.  
“Got him!” Bill had grown in size, pinning Stan to the ground. “Get off of me!” Stan struggled for freedom from Bill’s grasp. “Somebody help! Kids!”  
Dipper emerged from the doorway. “Sorry Grunkle Stan, but we can’t let you destroy the universe.”  
“Destroy the universe?! What are you talking about?”  
“If you jump universes you’ll tear the fabric of this one! You'll ruin everything!” Bill was orange with barely contained anger. He turned his enormous eye towards Dipper.  
“Go with Mabel and find the books.”  
“We don’t know where they are.”  
Mabel’s eyes shone blue-white for a brief moment. “I know where to go!”, she cried, rushing towards the stairs. “Come on, Dipper!” She tore down the stairs, Dipper racing to catch up with her.  
The vending machine was easy enough. 1-3-5-4 pull. Take a left and rush down the stairs. Composition, pulverize, digestion, fusion. Beep beep, boop bop. Down the elevator, whoah. “Grunkle Stan was hiding this?” Mabel gazed around the room. “It’s huge!”  
The laboratory was indeed huge. At the far end of the room an enormous machine was glowing with bright symbols. It was humming, warming up in preparation for its new user. Dipper crept closer,tentatively reaching out to touch a wheel.  
STOP. Dipper jumped at Bill’s voice. He looked around, but the demon was nowhere to be seen. Don’t touch the machine. Just focus on finding the books.  
“What about Stan?” Dipper spoke aloud, confusing Mabel, who was busily pawing through drawers.  
He’s unconscious, but he’ll be fine. Just focus on finding the books. You don’t have to speak aloud, by the way. You can just think it and I'll hear.  
Dipper continued his search. “Hmm. Maybe they’re in a secret wall panel.” He ran his hands along the exposed portions of the wall, rapping as he went. He was tugging at bolts in the machines and pulling levers on old equipment.  
“I found them! They’re on the desk!” Mabel was holding up the journals, her expression triumphant.  
“And to think, I was looking for secret panels! Stupid, stupid, stupid!” Dipper put a hand to his face.  
“Good work, Shooting Star!” Bill had arrived. “I knew I could trust you two! You might want to get out of here, though. It's about to get really messy in here.” Bill was glowing brightly, apparently pleased.  
The twins sprinted for the elevator. They had just skidded through the vending machine when an eardrum-tearing crash reverberated throughout the entire house. The portal was gone.  
Bill Cipher glided up the stairs, slapping his hands together as if he were removing dust. “Congratulations, you two! You passed the test! I just have one more thing to attend to." Bill disappeared.  
“Hey, where’d he-” Snap. With soft sighs, the twins fell backwards into the demon, asleep.  
*********************************************************  
The twins were sleeping soundly, sharing a simple dream about exploring the forest. Bill had made them sleepwalk out to Stan’s wide recliner, where the seat was wide enough to accommodate the two of them comfortably.  
Bill rose, darkened into a shadow, and silently slipped into Dipper’s mind.  
He only needed to mark them. It was a precaution, a warning to other entities that these two belonged to him. The marks would show that they were his property, under his protection. Harming them or trying to take them away from him would incur his wrath. A pair of humans such as these were rare, and considered valuable. They needed to be safeguarded against his enemies.  
Dipper’s mind was an airy, cool pine forest. The trees were well spaced, taking on a bluish tinge in the twilight. Carvings were cut into the trunks, the bark splitting open and healing back up in rapid succession as they animated his memories. Bill explored until he located the ideal space. A large boulder sat in a clearing, dominating the area. Bill etched his likeness into it. That should do the trick. He slipped out of the forest in the same silence he entered in .  
Mabel’s mind was a bright, swirling nebula floating in space, alive with color. Young stars blinked brightly in the rainbow of gases. Her memories formed in bright neons, forming and dissolving at a leisurely pace. Bill thought carefully for a while, then waved his hand. His image was outlined in stars, rhinestones studded onto the black velvet of space.  
He resurfaced in the material world. The twins slept on, snoring quietly. It was late, nearly midnight, and they needed their sleep. He touched his small, thin hands to their collarbones, blue fire spreading from his fingertips, before teleporting them into their beds and departing for the forest.


	3. Discovery

Stan awoke to quiet snorting. He opened his eyes, but everything in his field of vision was a flat pink. He shifted slightly, and a curly tail poked into his nose.

Waddles' butt was in his face.

"What the heck! Get out of here, you stupid pig!" Waddles ran from the room snorting. Stan pushed himself into a sitting position, stretching his stiff back. Why am I on the floor? His sleep-bleary brain remembered the incident from the night before.

_No. Not him. He didn't get them. He can't have. Maybe I can mark them first. Then he won't be able to hurt them. Please let them be okay. Please._ He stood up, still in his pajamas, and shuffled down the stairs. He rushed around as quickly as his sore, decrepit body could take him. He searched the entire floor, and even went into his laboratory.

Their bedroom. Of course. He wondered why he didn't check the bedroom first. It was closer to where he had awakened and they were more likely to be in their room than in his lab. Stupid, stupid, stupid. So he raced back upstairs.

The twins were asleep in their own beds, wearing their clothes from the night before. Stan quietly crept over to Dipper, and checked in all of the usual spots. He checked Dipper's palms, arms, legs, and feet. He (very carefully) checked Dipper's forehead and the back of his neck. He even checked underneath the boy's chin. A warm relief stole through him. They were still unmarked-wait. A sliver of black poked out from the collar of Dipper's shirt. Stan lightly grasped the edge of Dipper's shirt and pulled it down. The image of a small, snappily dressed triangle sat on the left side of Dipper's collarbone, staring back at him with its single eye.

He was too late. He rushed over to Mabel, and looked under her sweater collar. The same black image was there, on the right this time, leering from at him from her clavicle.

I have to get them away from here. But there wasn't anywhere to go. Bill knew where the lab was, and it was torn to shreds anyways. He couldn't hide in somebody else's home; everyone hated and distrusted him. He couldn't drive long distances without falling asleep, so he couldn't leave Gravity Falls. That left only the forest. The energy there might help him hide the twins. But he had nowhere to take them. He couldn't stay with the gnomes, as they would try to kidnap Mabel and hated Dipper for tricking them. The manotaurs were out too; they were too likely to accidentally kill them in a brawl and, like the gnomes, hated Dipper. The kid seems to alienate magical creatures everywhere he goes. He shook his head. I don't have time to think about this. I'll just take them into the woods. Somebody out there has to be willing to hide us.

He gently shook Mabel awake. "Hey. Mabel. Get up. We have to go. Now." "Whuuh? What's going on?" Mabel sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes. "Get up. We have to go."

"Huh? Grunkle Stan? What's going on?" Dipper had awoken when his sister did. He looked at Stan, confused and exhausted. " We're leaving. Now."

"Why?" Mabel was as bewildered as Dipper was.

"We're going into hiding so Bill can't get you."

"But Bill isn't bad! He kept you from making the universe go all sploosh!"

Stan sighed irritably. "One good deed doesn't make a good person, alright? Now come on!" "What about Waddles?"

Waddles can come too. Just hurry up!"

"What's going to happen to the Shack?"

"It's going to be closed for a while! Now come on! We have to go!"

Dipper and Mabel reluctantly followed their grunkle to the front door. Mabel retrieved a lead for Waddles from the coat rack, and fastened it around his neck. Waddles, meanwhile,busied himself with chewing happily on the corner of Dipper's vest. Stan opened the door, left the "Closed" sign as it was, and led the twins into the woods.

It was a warm, humid day, but the dark grey clouds hung low, threatening to rain. The light was dim, and only grew dimmer as they plodded into the forest. A raindrop fell onto Mabel's hairline, despite all of the leaves blocking the precipitation. The rain began to fall more quickly, sliding down the leaves and colliding with the exposed dirt under the canopy steadily. Thunder rumbled in the distance.

After a short time, the rain stopped falling. It was still raining heavily all around them, but it no longer hit the trio. The water on their clothes evaporated under a warm yellow glow. Dipper looked to the sky and released a startled shout. A large, black eye was staring at him. Bill was floating over them, as wide as the spread branches of a tree.

"Hi there, kids! Thought I'd get you poor saps out of the rain. Don't want you to get a cold!"

"Oh. Hey there, Bill."

"Getting used to me already, I see. Great!" His enormous pupil moved to stare, unblinking, at Stan."Thank you for bringing me my assistants, Stanford. It's a little odd to bring them out into the woods, though. The Mystery Shack would've been a perfectly decent meeting place. Now run along, and don't get into any more trouble, okay?"

"I didn't bring them over for you, I was taking them far away from you! All you'll ever do is hurt them! Come on kids, let's go!" He took each of their hands in his own and began to lead them forward.

They went in the other direction. Bill was pulling them back to him, though not with his powers. A bluish glow could be seen plainly through Dipper's orange tee shirt. Mabel's glow was mostly obscured by her thick sweater, and was barely visible. They floated up to Bill's side and hung there.

Stan was still hanging on to their hands, legs dangling in the air. He wasn't going to release his niece and nephew without a fight. Bill pulled him away as if he were a burr clinging to their jacket.

Stan dropped to the ground with a grunt. "It's a bit late for that, Stan. You had your chance to mark them, and you didn't. I saw a chance and I took it. They belong to me now, fair and triangle." Bill's tone was calm and firm. He had won. The fight was over (not that there ever was one in the first place), so there was no need to get emotional.

Stan did anyway. "No…" He was wilting, slumped over. "Not them…please". His grief at even the concept of losing his niece and nephew was genuine and powerful. Bill could see Stan's sorrow. It was coming off of him in waves, washing the color and life out of Stanford's personal reality in mere seconds. Bill sighed, shutting his eye in annoyance.

"Get up, idiot, and stop snivelling like that. It's pathetic, and I've already won, so there isn't any point to it. They're going to be fine. They're actually going to be better for the experience! Their eye will be opened."

Eye? Stan looked at Bill, fear and worry on his face. "Don't do that. That will ruin their lives! They could go insane!"

"People only go insane if they do it wrong. I'm a master of the mind! A head is my modeling clay. They can't possibly go insane." And then the twins were gone.

"WHERE DID THEY GO? WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Stan went from forlorn to frantic in a flash.

" Calm down! They're back at the Mystery Shack, you senile old fool. I don't need them until tonight. And remember this." Bill drew closer to Stan, until he was nearly touching Stan's face.

"You may have pushed me away, but I still own you, and I will always own you. I will mark the entire Pines family, even the entirety of Gravity Falls if I have to. I control the universe. I am king, and if you don't do as I say, there will be consequences. I only let you slip away because it amused me. Defiance is a fool's game. I always know what you're thinking, and I always know where you are. It will be easier on everyone if you just let yourself be controlled. Find your pig, go home, and relax. Run the shop, continue your life, and let me do my well and you might get back into my good graces." Then he was gone.

Stan was too stunned to move. He stared into the forest, mind blank and overflowing at the same time. He was emotionally weak and tired. He just wanted to go to bed and forget that anything was happening at all. Yet, at the same time, he couldn't will himself to move.

Stan heard a nearly imperceptible sigh. His body began to move of its own accord, retrieving Waddles and walking him back home.

Dipper gasped as he fell from midair to his bed. He bounced once, then fell to the floor. "Ouch!" He rubbed his head with his palm. Mabel had soundlessly bounced onto her bed, coming to a stop face first in her pillow. Dipper looked at her in envy. Why does she always get the comfy landings?

"Ugh...what happened?" Mabel was pushing herself back up.

"Bill did."

Mabel's eyes went wide, and she pointed across the room at her twin. "Dipper! Your shirt is glowing!"

"Huh? Whoah!" A blue glow still emanated from underneath Dipper's shirt collar. He raced to the bathroom to try to catch a glimpse of it in the mirror before it faded. He stood in front of the mirror and tugged down his shirt collar. His scream could be heard all throughout the house.

Mabel came racing into the bathroom. "Dipper! What's wro-whoah." She quickly pulled off her sweater. The glow was now readily apparent, shining brightly through her light pink tee shirt. She pulled her shirt collar down past her collarbone.

Black lines composed images of Bill Cipher, staring back from the twins' chests.

"Tattoos," Mabel breathed. "Mom and Dad are going to kill us."

20-8-5-25 23-9-12-12


	4. Dreams

The atmosphere at the Shack was quiet and defeated. The shop was closed for the day, as Stan wasn't in the mood to open it again. He sat in his recliner, looking at (but not truly watching) television. _I lost them. I let them down. I couldn't protect them, and now they're in danger._ The same thoughts ran through his head over and over. He was a defeated, yet restless train, going in circles. _Maybe...maybe I should give up. I can't beat him. Wa_ rmth and approval surged through him at the thought.

But it wasn't from Stan.

* * *

The Pine twins were lying on their beds. Mabel, in a rare moment of stillness, was lying on her back, staring blankly at the ceiling.

DIpper was lying on his stomach, staring at the book propped open on his pillow. Hands supporting his chin, he stared at the Bill Cipher pages.

LIAR, MONSTER, SNAPPY DRESSER. DO NOT SUMMON AT ALL COSTS. Blood splatters and strange symbols. He had seen them all before, but they seemed different now. A new perspective.

The twins stayed in their respective positions for a long time. Or maybe it was no time at all. There was nothing in the universe for the two of them, save for a ceiling and a page, so the passage of time was unnoticed. They were alone together, lost in their own thoughts.

After a while (or maybe no time at all), Mabel's endless, blank stare subsided as her eyes slowly slipped shut. Her breathing slowed, and in the near-silence it was easily noticed. Despite this, Dipper did not look up. His hand had failed to support his chin as his head dropped down to rest, sideways, on his forearm. The twins were asleep.

* * *

Mabel couldn't see. She stood in place, trying to see despite the void. What was going on? She wished it wasn't so dark…

And there was light. "What? Where'd that come from?" It had come exactly when she wanted it. "Um, I wish...for a big blue sky!" And there it was. Mabel gasped. "I'm dreaming!"

Then another thought occurred to her: "I can do whatever I want!"

"I wish for puffy clouds!"

"I wish for grass!"

" I want big hills to roll down!"

"KITTENS!"

In the end, Mabel had created enormous, rolling hills filled with green grass and wildflowers. Cotton-candy clouds rolled gently across an endless blue sky. Kittens batted at fish with disturbingly cute faces. The fish themselves swam in a pond with a bottom littered with bubble chests and scuba diver figurines. Bunnies hopped through the grass, chewing on carrots.

Mabel ran down a hill, kittens clinging to her sweater, and laughed.

* * *

"Hello? Where am I?" Dipper looked around him, nervously watching the darkness. He was alone, tendrils of fear creeping into his stomach. He wanted a light, but he was afraid of what he might see.

Something skittered behind him. Dipper jumped. Dimly glowing lights appeared around him. Something caressed his bare ankle. He saw eyes in his peripheral vision. They slowly blinked out, one by one, until only one remained. A familiar one.

"I leave you a perfectly empty dream and you turn it into a nightmare? That's a little creepy, Pine Tree."

"I didn't mean to! It just...sorta...happened."

"You mean to tell me that you can't even control your dreams yet? At this rate your sister will get her Sight before you do! It looks like you need extra training."

The darkness dissolved, revealing Bill and a blank white that stretched as far as the eye can see.

"Let's start with something easy. Make a floor."

Dipper focused, and a single blue tile appeared.

"I said a floor, Pine Tree. Not a tile. A floor."

Dipper focused, and a single white tile appeared adjacent to the blue one. Blue. White. Blue. White. Pairs of tiles. Four tile squares. Nines. Entire rows fell into place. A white and blue checked floor stretched into oblivion.

Bill patted Dipper's back, making him flinch. "Good job, Pine Tree. What else can you whip up?"

Dipper focused, and soon a dark blue sky arched over them. The first twinklings of stars and planets appeared. The white and blue of the tiles faded, replaced by leaf litter and dirt. Redwoods and blue pines sprung up out of the land. The noises of raccoons and nocturnal creatures reached Dipper's ears.

Dipper focused a little harder, and some of the trees fell away, the blue of the pines melting into an ocean. The redwoods split into driftwood and collapsed into white sand.

"Hmm. Good detail and a decent transition, but a little cliche."

"Hey, umm...Bill?"

"Yessssss?" The triangle turned to look at him, eye staring.

"What are the little...um...you's…on our chests for?"

"Oh, that? Just a little mark to keep you two safe. You're quite popular with the locals, you know. Lots of creatures and people want to get their hands on the two of you. Nobody would dare mess with my property." He took off his hat and placed it gently on Dipper's head. It felt strange there. He could feel it, but at the same time, it felt all wrong, as if he were imagining it. The hat felt like it didn't belong in this world.

Bill floated down to look Dipper in the eye. With something that could only be described as a faceless smile, he said, "But don't worry, Pine Tree. You're mine now. I'll keep you safe."

Then he pushed down the hat. It swallowed Dipper up and he fell through the dark, Bill's cackling laugh following him out.

He woke up in bed, sweating.


	5. Trust

Dipper lay in his bed, breathing heavily. The room around him was dark. Rain dripped from the roof of the Shack, hitting the wooden floor with an occasional _plip_. Mabel snored quietly on the other side of the room.

Dipper lifted his arm to press a button on his wristwatch and it lit up, showing him that it was very late at night. He groaned quietly, then yawned heartily and rolled over to face the wall. He may have been sleeping, but he felt as if he hadn't slept at all. He closed his eyes.

Minutes passed. He rolled over to face the wall. He rolled back over a few minutes later. And then he rolled back. And forth. And back. And forth. He flipped over his pillow. He kicked away his blanket. He rolled over again. He pulled his blanket back up. He groaned and yawned. He couldn't get to sleep, no matter how hard he tried.

_Having a little trouble, kid? Here, let me help._

There was a faint tingling sensation at the top of his scalp. A low, constant note filled Dipper's ears, blocking out his sister's snores and the dripping rain in the way a humming fan would. He stiffened, instinctively resisting the demon's influence on his mind. It didn't matter that they had spent most of the night together in Dipper mindscape. Dipper still didn't feel safe to have Bill poking around his mind.

_Relax kid, I'm helping you out. It isn't as if you could fight me anyways, even if you wanted to._ The humming swelled until it was all Dipper could hear.

Slender fingers slipped underneath his hair and began to massage his scalp gently. Dipper could feel his mind being tugged at and tried to pull away, but the hands followed him. He reached a hand up to cover his hair, but the sensation of the fingers remained on his head.

_Don't bother trying to stop me. Just lay down and_ _relax_ , _okay? I'm helping you._

The fingers continued to move, and soon the tugging began again. They tugged, pushed, and kneaded, soothing his worries. His stress was untwisted and his fears were smoothed over. Dipper's entire body relaxed, releasing muscles he didn't even know he had clenched.

_Good job, Pine Tree. You're doing perfectly._

The warmth and approval in Bill's words radiated through Dipper's entire body. He tilted his head back into Bill's fingers. Bill laughed quietly.

_I see you've changed your mind._ The single note changed into a soothing tune. Dipper's breathing began to slow down.

A quiet snore vibrated underneath Bill's fingers. The boy was finally asleep, a serene smile on his face.

Bill's unseen hand patted his hair softly before disappearing.


	6. Warning

Sunlight was streaming through the window. Dipper could tell that it was late morning; his sister’s bed was empty and heat was already starting to build in the attic. He remained in his bed anyways, staring at the ceiling and marveling at just how wonderful he felt. That was the most refreshing sleep he had experienced in weeks. Maybe he should let Bill sing him to sleep more often.  
Sure thing, kid. Have to make sure my little apprentices get their beauty sleep, right?  
Dipper still wasn’t used to Bill intruding on his thoughts and the sudden voice in his head made him jump. A guarantee of sleep every night did sound nice, though.  
Breaking away from his own thoughts he decided to get up and get some breakfast. He made his way down the stairs heading for the kitchen. He was nearly there when Stan noticed him and called him into the living room.  
Stan was sitting in the yellow armchair, but the room was tenser than usual. Mabel had already arrived, having woken up earlier to watch cartoons. She was now turned to face Stan, sensing a family conversation approaching.  
“Sit down, Dipper. We need to talk about Bill.” Little spikes of anger prickled in the back of Stan’s mind. Stay in line. Stan pushed the displeasure back and continued on.  
“Look, I know how you feel about Bill. You think he’s this nice guy who saved the universe. But saving the universe from one person’s enormous mistake doesn’t make him a trustworthy person. He is not, and will never be a good guy. He’s evil!”  
The twins looked at each other in confusion. Sure there was the incident with the safe, but everything he’s done since then has been benevolent.  
“But he gave me wonderful dreams about kittens!”  
“And he helped me last night when I couldn’t sleep!”  
“Don’t you see? He’s luring you in so you’ll trust him!” Stan pinched the bridge of his nose under his glasses. “Listen. He marked you, so I can’t lay a hand on you. But I can’t help you either. All I can do is warn you. Be careful around Bill. He’s more dangerous than you know.“  
“Okay, we will. But I don’t think you need to worry so much. It’s not like he would mark us then hurt us, right?” Dipper tried to reassure him.  
“You never know. Not with him.” The twins were already leaving. The room turned grey the second they left.  
“ I warned you about doing that, Pines. I was even nice and gave you an extra warning. But you just had to go and do it anyways, didn’t you?”  
Stan was silent.  
“They didn’t even listen, you know. They trust me, Stan. You’ve gotten yourself into a whole galaxy of trouble for nothing. But you know what? I’m a forgiving guy. I told you three times and you still disobeyed, but I’m still going to cut you some slack. You’ll only get, say, an hour’s worth of nightmares for tonight. And I’ll only use your third worst fears. See how lenient I’m being? Aren’t you glad?”  
Nothing but a huff and a glare from under thick glasses.  
“Fine, zipper lips. Don’t thank me. I’ll be back for your punishment after I finish with the kids. Don’t try anything, or it’ll be worse next time.”  
Bill flashed away and Stan’s eyes opened again. He sighed and put his head in his hand. Great.  
As if he needed any more fear in his life.

 

Bill exited Mabel’s mind pleased. The twins were getting better ever faster than he thought they would. They would be ready for their sight in no time. His only concern was Stanford. His little “talk” with the kids had planted tiny seeds of distrust in them. Dipper had seemed a little wary of him when he came in for training. Sure, he had good reason to be wary, but shouldn't have been, wouldn't have been. It was Stanford’s fault, and he was going to be sorry for it. Maybe then he would learn.  
Bill set out for Stan’s mind with a gleeful glint in his eye.


	7. Nightmares

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Contains gore, body horror, and really fucked up imagery. I...I'm not sure what happened.

“Oh Staaaaannnnfoooorrdddddd...where are you Staaan? Might as well come out and get it over with, kiddo. I don’t have all night.” Bill had cleared out another black void. The purpose of this one was completely different, however.  
“Don’t call me kiddo.” Stan stepped forward from the darkness into Bill’s glow. The yellow light glinted off his glasses and made his skin look horribly jaundiced.  
“Ah, there you are! I thought you were going to play hide-and-seek with me, kiddo!”  
“I said not to call me that!” Stan growled. His eyebrows came together, glaring up at Bill from underneath them.   
“What’re you going to do about it, kiddo? Oh wait! Nothing! Because you can’t do a single thing about anything I do! I keep trying to explain this to you, but you won’t get it through that calcified rock you call a skull! I tried so desperately to teach you things, to give you and that brother of yours knowledge, I tried to help you, I try to help the twins, and you fight me every single step of the way! So you’ve left me no choice. Either you quiet down, or I bring out the big guns and quiet you down permanently.”  
“You can’t kill me! The kids will never forgive you!”  
“Who said anything about killing you?”  
Stan felt a sogginess seep into his socks. He looked down and was rapidly alerted to the fact that he was the sogginess. His feet were melting, skin turning into slime and sliding through the fabric of his socks. He could feel his muscles following suit, boils swelling up and bursting, sending a yellow-green pus sliding to the dark floor he was standing on. It smelled like rotting carcasses, hot garbage, and molding food. Stan vomited, adding more semi-liquids to the floor.Tears sprang to his eyes, blurring everything.  
The infection spread up his legs, taking its time as it exposed bone and released blood. Stan fell to his knees in a puddle. His bones began to fall apart, metatarsals and ankle bones falling away as the pieces that held them together fell away. They made small splashes when they hit the puddle. Stan watched as they slowly came apart into small piles of fluid-soaked dust.  
Stan was breathing heavily. Tears were actively streaming down his face. They burned like fire.   
It had reached his torso. His pelvis was beginning to disintegrate, sliding away from him. The puddle seemed to be enormous, his blood mingling with the vomit and pus. He was on his back in it. He couldn’t feel any pain. Cipher had at least been that merciful. He could, however, feel everything. He felt the drip of his skin and the popping of the pus-filled boils. He could feel the icy streaks left by his tears. The air in the void was icy cold and uncomfortably hot at the same time.   
“You can stop this, you know.” Bill was looking down at his melting form. His voice was soft. “All you have to do is stay quiet from now on, okay? Stay quiet and let me guide you. You don’t have to do anything but listen to me. I’ll take care of you and your family. You can be happy. You just have to let me guide you.”   
Stan moaned quietly. It had reached his lower abdomen.   
“Of course, I can just leave you here…” Bill turned and began to float away slowly.  
“Wait.” It was a harsh, small croak.  
“Hmm?” Bill turned.  
“...Please…” Stan broke out in a fresh fit of tears. Bill floated near his face.  
“Really? You seemed pretty against me a little while ago. You sure you want my help?”  
“....Yes.”  
“Good to have you back on the same page.” He patted Stan on the head as if he were a dog. “Let’s get you fixed up, shall we?”   
He snapped his fingers and the puddle disappeared. Stan’s body grew back rapidly, bones cracking into place and muscles growing back. Stan curled up the second his feet returned. He was shaking. Why, why did tell them that? Stupid, stupid, stupid. So stupid…  
“Now, now, don’t be so hard on yourself! You’re only human after all! Not everyone can be as perfect as me! You made a mistake and you paid the price, end of story! You’re as good as redeemed! Here, I’ll even toss in a good dream, just to be nice! You like money, don’t you? I’ll give you a dream about money! Come on, stop shaking already! You’re fine! I don’t have any skin and you don’t see me shaking about it, do you?” Bill chattered as Stan trembled.  
His next dream was about being fantastically wealthy. It was wonderful.


End file.
